The present disclosure relates to an imaging unit, an imaging module, and an endoscope.
In the related art, endoscope apparatuses are widely used for various examinations in medical and industrial fields. Among these, medical endoscope apparatuses are widely used because its capability of obtaining in-vivo images inside the body cavity of a subject such as a patient without performing incision on the subject by inserting in the body cavity of the subject a flexible insertion section having an elongated shape including an image sensor provided at its distal end, and its capability of further performing treatment procedure by allowing a treatment instrument to be projected from the distal end of the insertion section as necessary.
At the distal end of the insertion section of such an endoscope apparatus, an imaging unit including an image sensor and a circuit board on which electronic components such as a capacitor and an IC chip constituting a drive circuit of the image sensor are mounted is fitted, with signal cables being soldered to the circuit board of the imaging unit.
In recent years, there is a proposed technique in which an imaging unit and a peripheral circuit of a solid-state image sensor are arranged side-by-side on a front surface to reduce the length in the row direction of the solid-state image sensor so as to reduce the diameter of the imaging unit (refer to JP 2010-51538 A).